Chromium: Clash of Steel
by Blacksmith Omniverse
Summary: Jaune had been a little concerned about forging transcripts to Beacon. He wasn't exactly gifted in combat. At least, not until a superhero from another world fell out of the sky and became his best friend. Now Jaune has to navigate high school, dating, and Grimm while helping to fight the rising crime in Vale. (Highly AU)
1. New Beginnings

**The only characters I own in this story are my OC's; all other aspects are the property of Roosterteeth and their affiliates.**

**Thank you.**

* * *

_"...the latest in a string of mining disasters plaguing Schnee holdings in Vacuo. Speculation that the White Fang is at fault has arisen, but all factions of the Faunus organization have denied responsibility to far._

_"In local news, the so-called 'Blur of Vale' made another appearance Saturday, when members of the White Fang disrupted the Faunus civil rights protest. Eyewitness accounts say the aggressors were rounded up by 'a gust of wind and a rainbow trail' and tied up with a fallen lamp post for the authorities to handle."_

Jaune Arc smiled weakly as he listened to the news broadcast from his position, doubled over, airship bench. The Blur had been the talk of the kingdom ever since he'd arrived. People were utterly caught up in the idea of an honest to Oum superhero running around the city, fighting crime and helping out where he could. Unfortunately, several members of the Vale High Council were put off by the notion, and a hefty sum of money was being offered up to anyone willing to capture it.

Which made the fact that the Blur's alter-ego (/Jaune's traveling companion and best friend), Jonathan Marcellus was currently beside him, in the middle of a transport full of huntsmen and huntresses in training, funny to Jaune. He probably would have found it more amusing if he wasn't currently holding his lunch in through sheer will, but it was still at least ironic.

"Hold on buddy, just another couple minutes." Said Jonathan, while rubbing small circles into the younger blond's back to alleviate his stress.

Jaune was glad that the two of them looked so similar or the act might have drawn some looks. Of course, once you got closer to them, the differences between them became more evident. Jonathan's eyes, though obscured by sunglasses with many multicolored frames above and below the main ones, were a rich brown, while Jaune's were a deep blue. Jaune was taller than his friend by about three inches, though a life of training had made Jonathan more toned. And while Jaune's hair was a solid yellow, Jonathan's was longer and more of a dirty blond, with the beginnings of a goatee forming on his chin.

They had their similarities too, though more in their situation than in appearance. They were both lost to their homes (one by choice, one by calamity), they each carried an heirloom used in their families for generations, and they both had a desire to help people above all else. That last one is what convinced Jonathan to come with Jaune to Beacon nearly two seasons ago. Since then they'd gotten to know each other reasonably well.

The airship lurched, and Jaune found himself unable to keep his food in his stomach any longer. He leapt from his seat and bolted for the door, hands clasped over his mouth as he ran. Thankfully, the ship pulled to a stop and opened its doors just as he reached them. He sprinted for the trash can, that was always just outside airship exits for food and diapers and poor saps like himself with airsickness, and gripped its sides as bile and vomit came staggeredly out of his mouth.

Jonathan walked up behind him and patted his back. He pulled some napkins out of their shared duffel bag and held them out to Jaune, who gladly accepted.

"You alright?" He asked.

Jaune nodded slowly. "Yeah, just give me a minute." He blanched. "Oh man, it tastes like spoiled beef."

Laughter escaped the older boy's lips. "I told you not to eat before the flight."

"Hey, I paid seven liens for that sandwich. I'm getting my money's worth!"

Jonathan rolled his eyes but smiled anyway.

The pair began walking toward the exit of the docking area, and into the central courtyard. The boys stopped outside the building's door and stared at the school before them. Beacon was more extensive than most Ivy league universities and twice as grandiose. It looked like a castle from an old fairytale, with ivory-colored walls topped with ebony tiled roofs. Well-manicured lawns lined white stone paths that twisted this way and that through the campus. Large windows peered into lecture halls, and gymnasiums, and a genuinely excessive dining hall. In the center of the campus stood a soaring clocktower with a glass face and wrought iron detailing (which Jonathan realized was the headmaster's office), that seemed to glow the faintest shade of green in the late afternoon sun.

Jaune turned to Jonathan with a face-splitting grin. "We made it."

Jonathan smiled back. "No more cave-ins, no more floods, just smooth sailing from here on."

Their smiles dropped when an explosion erupted in the courtyard. Jaune gave his friend a look.

"Yeah, that one's on me." Sighed Jonathan as the pair ran off to find the source.

It wasn't especially hard, seeing as a large plume of smoke was still visible above the site.

The courtyard around the crater was charred, with cracks spider-webbing out from the dent in the cobblestone path. In the center of the pit stood a young girl with scorch marks on her boots, looking dejected as two older girls walked off in opposite directions. She sunk to her knees and then to her back, mumbling something to herself.

Jaune wasted no time in walking over to her and extending his hand to help her up, with Jonathan right on his heels. The girl stirred when a shadow across her face suddenly blocked the sun. She looked up to see Jaune offering his hand and a supportive smile.

"Hey," He greeted. "I'm Jaune."

She smiled a little bit and accepted his hand up. "Ruby."

"Jonathan." The other boy introduced, with a nod.

Ruby smiled at both of them before snorting into her hand. "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"

* * *

Supercriminal Roman Torchwick growled as he looked over his latest haul. In the three short weeks since that damned Blur showed up, he'd been able to keep less and less of his scores, a number that was dwindling further because of how many men the damned thing had gotten arrested. And then there was the incident with that stupid teenager.

He took a long drag from his cigar to calm his nerves. He needed help. Neo was currently in Atlas, helping their benefactor sneak into some research facility or something, and the thugs he borrowed from Xiong were ludicrously inept, as his last job had so wonderfully proved. He took one last drag and crushed the cigar with his cane, before taking a new one out of his case and lighting it.

"And here I thought I smoked too much." Called a smooth voice from behind the gangster.

Roman spun with surprising grace and leveled his cane at the speaker. A dark-skinned man in a charcoal suit and black tie stood with his arms raised halfheartedly in surrender.

"The hell'd you get in here?" Demanded the mobster.

The man smiled. "My boss has known about this place for a while. Let you be, 'cause he wanted to see what you were doing." He shrugged. "Guess you finally caught his attention."

"Cute." Deadpanned Roman. "Listen, pal; I get threats from other bosses twice a week, what do you want."

The well-dressed man slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. He flicked it over to Roman, who caught it with ease. "My boss wants a meeting. He's currently abroad, but whenever you decide to contact us, he'll be ready."

On the card a shining silver "M" stood out on the black paper, beneath it read words:

Protection. Solutions. Weapons.

Roman looked back to the intruder to respond but was bewildered when all he saw was a white wisp of dissipating smoke where the man once stood. The gangster shook his mind clear and looked back to the card. Turning it over, he found a scroll number written in the same silver font.

Torchwick looked over to the wall where a map of the city hung above a small workbench. Sitting on the workbench was an old burner scroll that held an all too frequent contact. He sighed and walked over to the scroll to dial the number. The lady wasn't going to be happy about this.

* * *

"Look, all I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on." Argued Jaune as he Ruby and Jonathan strolled through the school courtyard.

"Look, I'm sorry Vomit-boy was just the first thing that came to mind." Said Ruby, sheepishly.

"Well, I'm sure you could have done better with more time 'Captain Crater'" Joked Jonathan from her other side."

Ruby threw her hands down indignantly. "Hey, that explosion was an accident."

Jaune smirked and jabbed his thumb into his chest as he started walking backward so he could face his friends. "Well, the name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it."

Ruby looked at Jonathan. "Do they?" She asked flatly.

"Eh." Said Jonathan as he waved his hand in a so-so gesture.

"Hey, they will." Said Jaune quickly. "Well, I hope they will… I mean, my mom always said…" He realized he was making a weak argument and stopped himself. "Never mind."

The group fell into a silence that Ruby must have felt it was awkward because she pulled her weapon from her back and unfurled it into its scythe mode, jabbing the point into the path and causing both blonds to jump back.

"So, I got this thing." She said, motioning to it with her head.

"Woah!" Said Jaune nervously. "Is that a scythe?"

Ruby nodded, hefting the weapon onto her shoulder. "It's also a customizable, high impact sniper rifle."

Jaune and Jonathan looked at each other slightly, causing Ruby to smile. "It's also a gun."

"Oh." Said Jonathan, at the same time that Jaune said. "That's cool."

"So… What have you got?" Asked Ruby.

Jonathan motioned for Jaune to go first, and the younger blond obliged.

"Well, I've got this sword." He said as he unsheathed his weapon.

"Oooooooh." Said Ruby, examining the blade.

Jaune slipped his left arm through the loops on his sheath and hit a button on it, expanding it on it's way up. "And I've got a shield too."

Ruby looked over the newly formed shield, searching for joints and buttons. "So, what do they do?" She asked as she pushed the button on the shield.

The shield contracted along Jaune's arm with a metallic twang, decided that that was the wrong position, and expanded back out to its full width. Jaune seemed to struggle with the sudden motion but regained his composure.

"Well, the shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying it, I can just," He sheathed the weapon and placed it back on his hip. "Put it away."

Ruby looked from Jaune to the weapon and back again. "Wouldn't it just weigh the same?"

"Yeah, it does." Said Jaune in a defeated tone.

Jonathan reached a hand up and patted him on the shoulder. Ruby looked over to him next. "What's your thing?"

The elder boy smiled and motioned to the technicolor array of smaller lenses around his glasses. "Dust lenses."

Ruby looked at him warily. "Isn't it dangerous to have all that right next to your face?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm pretty sure you just took a suitcase of the stuff to the face."

"Fair point." She raised her hands in concession, then went back to cradling her scythe. "I'm just a bit of a dork when it comes to weapons. I guess I went a little overboard in designing her."

"You made/designed that?" Asked Jaune and Jonathan, respectively.

Ruby beamed. "Of course! All students at Signal forge their own weapons. Didn't you make yours?"

Jaune unsheathed his weapon again and smiled ruefully at his reflection in the metal. "It's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war."

Ruby gave an awkward laugh. "Sounds more like a family heirloom to me." She saw that Jaune still wasn't smiling and continued. "Well, I like it. Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."

"Yeah." Said Jaune, brightening. "The classics."

Ruby began walking again, and the others followed. "So, why'd you help me back there, in the courtyard?"

Jaune shrugged. "Eh, why not. Jonathan and I don't like seeing others in pain, so we try and help out where we can. Besides, my mom always said 'strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.'"

Ruby mulled it over in her mind. "Huh."

"Hey, where are we going?"

Jaune looked at her. "What, I don't know I was following you."

"Oh." Said Ruby.

Jaune looked over to Jonathan, who was looking at the surrounding buildings, intently. "Jon?"

"Already on it."

* * *

It took a few minutes, but eventually, the trio made it to the school auditorium, where most of the other students had assembled. The building was a large cylinder topped with a glass dome that had a pair of concentric rings near the top. Positioned on balconies about a story above their heads were rows of stadium seating. On the opposite side of the room was a rounded stage with a large structure that resembled the outline of the school, with four blue lenses where the clock tower would be.

"Ruby, over here!" Called a voice from their right. The three looked over to see a girl with bright blonde hair and violet eyes waving at Ruby from amidst a crowd of people. "I saved you a spot."

Ruby smiled back at her. "Sorry guys," She said to her new friends as she took off toward her sister. "looks like I gotta go. See you after the ceremony!"

"Hey, wait!" Called Jaune after her, but Ruby wasn't paying attention to them anymore.

Jonathan chuckled at his friend's disappointment. "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll find some other girl to annoy soon enough."

"Oh, really?" Jaune shot back. "I seem to remember it was you who got us kicked off the Emerald Limited."

"That was an accident, and you know it!" Jonathan interrupted, with an accusatory finger. "Besides, I'm still convinced that woman was-"

He cut himself off as a familiar sensation began to pull at his stomach. His head went on a swivel as he looked for what Grimm could be nearby. Jaune's hand went to the hilt of his sword, but he kept it sheathed. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure."

Feedback from the stage gained the attention of everyone in the room as a man in a dark green suit began to address them, with a blonde woman just behind him. "I'll… keep this brief.

"You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look among you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

The boys gave each other twin looks of confusion as the man left the stage and the blonde woman, whom Jonathan recognized as Glynda Goodwitch from the airship, took his place.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight." She began curtly. "Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed!"

Jonathan watched as the man in the suit left and the pull on his gut with him.

* * *

Jaune, now dressed in blue bunny footie pajamas, settled onto his bedroll as Jonathan paced alongside him in a black tee-shirt and shorts. Jonathan had told him about the way Ozpin had left at the same time as Jonathan's stomach had stopped being pulled on, and the two were trying to figure out why that was the case.

"The guy runs the most prestigious huntsman academy in the world, Jon, why would he be connected to the Grimm?"

The long-haired boy stroked his chin and sighed. "I don't know. Maybe he's doing some type of experiments on himself. Trying to make a better huntsman."

A flat look was Jaune's only response.

"You're right, that's stupid." He conceded as he resumed his pacing.

"You don't think that Glaslow chick found us, do you?" Asked Jaune worriedly.

"No, that felt different." Said Jonathan, shaking his head. "She felt like I was looking at myself; this is almost… draining.

"And what's more, I felt sort of the same thing around Ruby."

Jaune's head snapped up in surprise. "What, why her?"

Jonathan massaged his temples. "I don't know, but there's something peculiar going on here."

"Well, we'll just have to keep an eye on him, I guess." Jaune let out a yawn and sunk into his pillow. "Get some sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow."

Jonathan nodded to himself. "Alright, then. Goodnight, Jaune."

"Mmhmm, goodnight."

Jonathan sat himself down on his bedroll. He was probably just being paranoid. Maybe things would make sense tomorrow.

* * *

**A/N**

**Well, here we are again, fourth time's the charm, right?**

**For those of you who don't know, this is a rewrite of my story _Chromium_. I didn't like how that was turning out, so I started over. I don't recommend reading it, but if y'all want a little bit of backstory on Jonathan, go ahead.**

**I'm going to state this now so that everyone knows: This takes place in a slightly alternate RWBY universe. This means that one or two characters have altered histories and/or motivations, and some new characters will play some prominent roles. All you need to know right now is that Jaune stole _Crocea Mors_ and ran away from home about seven months beforehand, and has been traveling with Jonathan for six doing all sorts of things.**

**If you don't mind, I'd like one thing from y'all. Jonathan _will_ be a member of JNPR (Jaune will still lead), and therefore they will need a new team name. I have one on the back burner already, but I want to see if anyone has anything better. You will be credited if yours is chosen.**

**Anyway, that's it y'all. Goodnight and God bless.**


	2. Step into the Forest

**The only characters I own in this story are my OC's; all other aspects are the property of Roosterteeth and their affiliates.**

**Thank you.**

* * *

Jaune grunted as he fastened the last of his armor into place. The simple plate mail was what the majority of his funds had gone towards after he left Pucelle, and had saved him many times since he and Jonathan began traveling together. Small scorch marks and impact dents marred the once pristine finish, each one a reminder of how dangerous the job they wanted could be. But they were also reminders that they could make a difference, that Jaune Arc could help people in need. A smile crossed his face as he strapped Crocea Mors to his hip, he would make it through initiation, he would graduate from Beacon, and he would help make the world just a little bit safer. Resolve strengthened in his heart, and he turned to his friend to see if he was ready.

Jonathan dressed in a light blue jacket that hung open over a white shirt, with a pair of dark jeans held up by a simple brown belt that matched his boots. On his left arm, he was attaching a large silver watch that looked very old, and on his right arm, his jacket was covered in metal plates, while his dark glasses and the four extra Dust-lenses that surrounded them on, either side, sat on his face. He rolled his neck and closed the door to his locker as he smirked back at Jaune. "You ready for this?"

The blond knight nodded and closed his locker. "Ready as I'll ever be."

The pair began to walk out of their row of lockers and toward the main walkway, where many other initiates were finishing with their preparations. They'd been surprised the evening before when they realized the locker room was coed; Jonathan had been especially nervous about dressing down before the fairer sex. But their fears were soon assuaged when Professor Goodwitch informed them that the place was for armor and weapons only and that they would be changing in the restrooms for the next day. Among the busy students, they saw Ruby and the girl she'd left to stand with, during the assembly, arguing over something about milk. A boy in heavy plate armor with a golden bird on his breast inspected his mace a few rows away. And a boy in a green robe was annoyed by a ginger girl in a pink skirt.

But Jaune's eye was drawn across the room, to where a stunning, ashen girl with snow-white hair was talking to a much taller, and similarly beautiful, red-haired girl. During yesterday's assembly, he remembered her saying something to Ruby about talking about boys and pointing to him as an example. He hadn't been paying much attention to it because of Jonathan's strange Grimm sense going off, but if they'd been talking about him like that, it had to be good. Didn't it?

Jonathan looked him up and down. "You're looking warmer."

"What do you-oh, right. Heat vision." Jaune looked nervously back to the girls as they talked. "You see that girl over there, in the white?"

Jonathan looked up to where his friend had indicated and recognized the girl as one of the two that had left Ruby's crater. She'd told them her name, White or something. The other one looked vaguely familiar too; maybe they'd passed her in the hall? "Yeah?"

"I overheard her saying something to Ruby about me yesterday before Ozpin showed up."

The shorter blond flicked his eyes over to her and cocked his head to the side. "What'd she say?"

Jaune shrugged. "I'm not sure, but if two girls were talking to each other about me, it can't be a bad thing."

Jonathan inhaled, as if he were going to contradict him, but cut himself off when he thought of something. "I mean, I guess Ruby wouldn't have anything bad to say about you."

Jaune grinned. "I'm gonna go talk to her. Can't hurt to give it a shot, right?"

"Yeah… Yeah, go for it!"

Jaune smiled at his friend and walked over to where the two were talking.

Jonathan watched as Jaune approached the girls, confidently. From what he could see of them, they seemed like kind people, well mannered and polite. Jaune himself was a very easygoing and respectful person, and if Ruby had been talking about him with her, then Jaune would get along just fine with them.

"You know what else is great?" Said Jaune, leaning against a locker, at which point Jonathan watched as the pale girl's body heat lessened and she stood more rigid. "Me Jaune Arc, Nice to meet you."

Jonathan removed his glasses and let out a sigh as he rubbed his eyes; Jaune had managed to ruin his shot in a single sentence.

"You?" Asked the pale girl icily, crossing her arms.

Surprisingly the tall girl interposed herself between them, body warm and seemingly excited. "Nice to meet you, Jaune."

Unfortunately, Jaune could not see warmth to gauge emotions and pushed her out of the way to get to the pale girl, who was getting steadily angrier. "Yeah, yeah. So, Weiss!" He batted his eyelashes at her. "Couldn't help but overhear you asking about me the other day." He flexed for her, displaying a surprisingly muscular physique.

Weiss (so that was her name), however, was unimpressed by his bravado. Not that Jonathan could blame her. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

"Don't worry; it's nothing to be embarrassed about." He bounced on his heels. "So, been hearing rumors about teams! Thought you'd be great on ours." He pointed to an ever disappointed Jonathan, who was now waving his hands across his neck. "What do you say?"

"Actually," Interrupted the red-head. "I think teams are comprised of four students each, so-"

"You don't say." Jaune cut her off. "Well, hot-stuff, play your cards right, and maybe you could join up with the winning team."

"Jaune, is it?" Asked Weiss flatly, stepping between her flustered companion and Jaune. "Do you have any idea who you are talking to?"

Jaune leaned forward, hands clasped like some lovestruck idiot. "Not in the slightest, Snow Angel."

That was enough. Jaune could be a great actor when he needed to be, but his false bravado was serving him poorly here. Jonathan stood up from his position against the locker and began, unnoticed, towards the three.

Weiss waved a hand toward her counterpart. "This is Pyrrha."

"Hello again." Sang Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum." Informed Weiss, as if expecting Jaune to leave them alone based on this fact.

Jaune shrugged. "Never heard of it."

Weiss scoffed at him. "She's won the Mistral regional tournament four years in a row… A new record!"

Jaune cocked his head as Jonathan came alongside him. "Mistral has a tournament?"

Jaune's continued ignorance was making Weiss irate now. "She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!" She shouted, waving her arms in frustration.

Pyrrha's smile wavered a moment, as it clicked in Jonathan's mind why he recognized her now. Jaune had bought a box of Pumpkin Pete's during an early stage of their trip, as a cheap breakfast. It was a fairly average marshmallow cereal, with just enough sugar to hide the fact you're eating cardboard.

Jaune, on the other hand, was suddenly starstruck. "That's you? They only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters!"

Pyrrha tried to dig the toe of her boot into the floor and twirled it a bit. "Yeah, it was pretty cool." She said with forced enthusiasm. "Unfortunately, the cereal isn't very good for you."

Weiss stepped back between them with her arms crossed, clearly proud to have made her point. "So, after hearing all of this, do you really think you're in a position to ask her to be on your team."

Jaune hung his head dejectedly. "I guess not… Sorry"

"Hey," Jonathan placed his hand on Jaune's shoulder. "You're becoming a great fighter too, Jaune. Just wait, we'll have the best team in all of Beacon!"

"Oh? And who, exactly, are you?" Weiss' tone was far more irritated than curious.

Jonathan smiled down at her and stuck out his other hand. "I'm Jonathan. It's a pleasure."

Weiss rolled her eyes and huffed. "I'm sure. You really shouldn't be encouraging him."

"Why not?"

"Because he's a complete moron!"

"Hey, now!"

Pyrrha stepped between Weiss and the boys and gave Jaune an encouraging smile. "Actually, I think Jaune would make a great leader."

Jaune perked back up and smiled back at her. "D'oh, stop it."

"Really, please stop it." Said Weiss, glaring at her counterpart.

Spurred on by words of encouragement from his best friend and a pretty girl, Jaune's bravado returned to him. "Looks like that's three for team Jaune. Only one spot left." He leaned in close to her, sending the girl back on her heels. "What do you say, ready to join up?"

Weiss was not ready to join and found Jaune's current proximity, and her current position, uncomfortable. "Too close! Pyrrha, a little help!?"

Pyrrha reacted with a speed that was surprising even to Jonathan, throwing her spear so precisely that it caught Jaune by his hood, and sent him flying across the room, pinning him to a locker.

"Jaune!" Jonathan ran after his friend to try and free him.

Pyrrha gave an apologetic wave after the boys. "I'm sorry!"

As Jonathan reached Jaune, the voice of Professor Goodwitch came over the intercom. "Would all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again: all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

Jonathan pulled the spear from the locker and Jaune's hoodie and leaned it against the locker as Weiss and Pyrrha walked past them.

"It was nice meeting you." Said Pyrrha, almost bashfully. She reached out for her spear, and, when she was almost touching it, it flew into her hand.

Jaune hung his head and sighed. "Likewise."

Jonathan helped Jaune over to a nearby bench and sat down beside him. He was helping him recover his shattered pride when he felt his stomach being pulled on. He turned his head towards the sensation, but he relaxed slightly when he saw it was only Ruby and her friend.

"Having some trouble, ladykiller?" The blonde quipped.

A groan came from Jaune as he sat up. "I don't get it… My dad said 'all women look for is confidence.'" He buried his head in his hands. "Where did I go wrong?"

"Snow Angel." Replied Jonathan and the blonde girl, in respective dry and sarcastic tones. They looked at each other in surprise before Ruby's friend smirked at Jonathan and walked out of the locker room.

Ruby sighed and offered the taller blond a hand up, which Jaune accepted. "Come on, guys, let's go."

* * *

The cliffs of Beacon were kept just as immaculate as the rest of the grounds. A verdant lawn ran nearly up to the sheer drop of white rock that made up the so-called cliff. At regular intervals on the ground were thirty-two large metal plates with the school emblem imprinted into them, upon which Jaune, Jonathan, Ruby, and the other initiates stood listening to Professor Ozpin give another speech about their first steps.

Jonathan tried to pay attention, but now that he was within spitting distance from both Ruby and the headmaster, he had enough trouble just standing up. He could pick out the more relevant information (they needed to find a partner and retrieve an artifact from the forest) but everything else slipped through his mind.

A part of him hoped that he and Ruby didn't wind up on the same team. He liked the girl well enough, she was kind, and sweet, and cute in the sort of way that made you want to protect her from the evils of the world; but he wasn't sure he could take four whole years of being this close to her. It was a mean thought, but, at the moment, Jonathan in too much pain to care.

He caught sight of a black and red blur shooting past him on his left, and at once felt the pull lessen substantially. It was still there, and far more significant than when Ozpin had been on stage the day before, but weaker nonetheless. He looked to see what had happened and was surprised to see that not only was Ruby gone, but so was everyone else to his left. He turned around to ask Jaune what was happening but was prevented by the plate launching him through the air.

The pull disappeared, allowing his perception to speed up, and Jonathan to realize that he was upside-down in a crowd of falling teenagers. Many of them were nearing the ground, using various powers or weapons to cushion their landing. That was probably a good idea, for, as slow as things around him appeared to move, the ground was approaching rapidly. He grit his teeth. He knew he could survive the fall with minimal damage; he'd fallen from greater heights before, but the impact would still definitely hurt.

Not for the first time did he wish he could fly. Unfortunately, he lacked both his father's ability to multitask and his mother's mastery of hard-light. He needed something to cushion his fall, but nothing around him seemed to be malleable enough. His fingers drummed on the sides of his glasses as told himself to think, to try and remember anything that could help him. His finger touched one of his Dust lenses, and his head shot up in epiphany.

Dust could change the environment: add matter and energy. If he added the right matter...

He flicked the cyan and green lenses (ice and air) over his eyes and focused on the ground. A familiar sensation washed over his eyes as pink beams of visible light focused through the lenses of his eyes like a laser and streamed outward. The two types of dust mixed before him and sent a blanket of fresh snow to coat the ground beneath him. He pushed the light out faster, creating more and more snow to break his fall.

With only a single story between him and the ground, he cut off his laser vision and braced himself for impact.

His vision swam with white and a shade of infrared that was almost black as he crashed, head first, into the icy pillow he'd created. He tumbled forward, coming to a stop on his back, just outside the snowbank. He shook his head to clear the fog. "Alright." He said to himself, stowing his lenses. "Need to catch Jaune. Need to find Jaune." He scanned through the upper canopy of the woods for his friend. Humans were typically warmer than trees, so he used infrared to look for Jaune's body heat.

Jonathan found him roughly a mile away pinned, strangely enough, to the trunk of a large oak by Pyrrha's spear. He could see the red-head too, nearly a hundred yards away from the blond knight, stood confidently on a large branch. Both of them appeared to be unharmed, and Jonathan felt himself relax. Now he just needed to get to Jaune and get him down.

He broke into a jog, heading for the tree that held Jaune. He wanted to go faster, but now that he was acting as a superhero in Vale any super speed would link him to the Blur instantly. Not to mention that, as he'd been surprised to discover, huntsmen and huntresses had powers too. He'd already chosen to play off his laser vision as his "semblance" to not connect himself to his alter-ego. He and Jaune had encountered a few on their trip to Vale. Some had even tried to capture him in the weeks since the council posted the bounty. Everyone seemed to be resistant against most forms of damage, have heightened senses, and a unique ability, called a semblance, that no other huntsman could replicate.

And, to Jonathan's eyes, they glowed. As far as he could tell, it was because their aura surrounded them at all times. But the light they gave off was unlike any he'd ever seen before: colors foreign even to his all-seeing eyes.

The rustling of a nearby bush drew Jonathan from his thoughts just in time to be pounced on from the other direction. The pull in his gut returned, and he cried out in pain as sharp teeth dug into his back. He looked to where the head of the creature was and fired off another, more intense laser, this time of UV light. But this time, without the dust to change it, the blast dug into the creature's neck with pure photonic energy. The beast screamed, dropping him and giving Jonathan a good look at what he was facing. "Creeps."

Jaune and Jonathan had faced many breeds of Grimm on their journey; horrid creatures that, save for the almost bonelike structures that covered them, absorbed all light, appearing pitch black even to Jonathan's enhanced eyes. But few were as unnerving as the Creeps: Hideous beasts with only two clawed legs, a long beak filled with rows of sharklike teeth, and a powerful reptilian tail.

Four more Creeps rushed out of the foliage and began to circle Jonathan. A larger version of the Grimm, a Creep Broodmaster, let out a shrill noise and two of the new Creeps charged him. Jonathan dodged to the left, wincing at the pain in his back. He may have had an enhanced healing factor, but it always seemed to work slower around the Creatures of Grimm. He took a boxer's stance and tried to center himself. A tail swiped at his torso, forcing him to duck. He flipped his red lenses in front of his eyes and fired back a blast of superheated plasma, cutting deep into the appendage, but not severing it. The Grimm roared in pain, and its brethren charged forward to aid it.

Jonathan gathered the light behind his eyes and let out as powerful a blast as he could manage. It threw the leader to the side and cut a deep gash in the flank of the Creep to its right. Another Creep tackled him to the ground from the right, chomping down on his arm, but not able to break through his metal sleeve. Jonathan grabbed its jaw and forced open the Creep's maw. The beast tried to charge him, but he used the momentum to throw it into the Creep who'd torn into his back.

The Broodmaster righted itself and let out another, lower, whistle, causing the Creep with an injured side to charge Jonathan as he was throwing, and tail whip the young hero.

The blond was thrown but shook off the blow to transition into a back handspring towards the two prone Creeps. Jonathan pulled his legs back and kicked through the cut in the first Grimm's tail and into the gash in the other's neck. He reached down into the wound he now stood in and pulled the two sides apart from each other.

The Creep tried to fight back but was unable to regain its footing before it was decapitated.

The other Creeps screeched in rage at the murder of their brother. The ones that had been away from him now ran to the site of his rapidly disintegrating corpse, and the now tailless beast turned to bite off Jonathan's head.

But with one of the Grimm dead, the pull was lessened, and Jonathan's strength was returning to him. He changed his red lenses for the cyan ones and coated the Creep in solid ice. He reared back his armored arm and threw a punch that shattered both the ice and the injured Grimm inside.

The other Creeps were nearing him now. Their leader opened its massive jaws and roared at the blond, instructing its subordinates. They whistled in response and split off to flank their prey from both sides.

Jonathan, however, kept his focus squarely on the lead monster. He ran past the two flankers and charged towards it at an olympian speed. He dodged the snapping jaws of the Broodmaster, slid beneath its giant frame, and wrapped his arms around one of its legs. His eyes found the creature's hip joint and let out another barrage of ice.

The Broodmaster let out another shriek at its fellows as it tried to shake the human from its leg. But that turned out to be a mistake; as it lifted its foot, it felt itself being flipped onto its side by Jonathan.

The other Creeps heard the command and charged at the human wrestling their leader to the ground. The one with a gash in its flank took the lead as they neared Jonathan, and with a push of its muscular legs sent itself into the air, mouth open, and into a dive at the boy's head.

A loud battle cry came from the left of the Creep, and the monster was tackled out of the air by a white yellow and blue mass. Both the Creeps and Jonathan paused to examine the new combatant, and a bright smile spread across the latter's face when he recognized the tall, now glowing, form of Jaune Arc.

"You didn't catch me." Said Jaune in mock-hurt, still keeping his eyes on the Grimm in front of him, as his new partner, Pyrrha Nikos, leapt from the brush and onto the uninjured Creep.

Jonathan laughed and resumed pulling on the Broodmaster's leg. "I saw you in that tree; you were okay. Besides, it looks like you've got an aura now."

"Yeah, I can thank Pyrrha for that."

The red-head took just a moment to smile at Jonathan. "Hello again!"

The older blond nodded back at her as he began breaking the leg he held from the monster that it was attached to. "Thank's for that. Now I don't have to take hits for the guy with a shield."

Jaune rolled his eyes but smirked in relief at seeing his friend was okay. He lowered himself in his stance and brought his weapons up at the Creep. The gash in its side told him that Jonathan had already injured it and that it should be easier to take down now.

The Creep Jaune had bashed brought itself back up to its feet, enraged at being robbed of its prey. It charged at Jaune, roaring in pure rage. The monster snapped its powerful jaws at the young knight.

But it tasted only air. Jaune had dodged out of the Creep's way and was swinging a glowing Crocea Mors at the wound in its side. A wave of yellow energy leapt from the blade and bisected the Grimm, leaving it to disintegrate.

Jaune panted as he turned around to help the others. Pyrrha had already dealt with her Creep and had gone to help Jonathan finish off the Broodmaster. By the time Jaune returned to them, the large Grimm was steadily decomposing. He sighed. "Man, I hate these guys."

Jonathan shook his head at the remains of the Broodmaster. "Yeah. Thanks for getting those two, guys."

"'course." Said Jaune. "Any time, right Pyrrha?"

The boys looked over to the warrior but found her kneeling and staring intently at where the Grimm had been.

"Pyrrha?"

She stood and turned back to her partner and his friend. "These Creep's were stronger than most others their size." She put her shield on her back but kept her weapon out in its xiphos form. "We should be careful in case more Grimm in this forest are also stronger than normal."

The blonds looked to each other and nodded, then turned back to Pyrrha. "Alright, then." Jonathan flipped his red lenses down and motioned to the north. "Lead on."

* * *

**A/N**

**Howdy folks. Glad to have you back.**

**I'd like to apologize to y'all: this chapter is almost a week later than I'd intended. I contracted the shingles, and the medicine took a lot out of me.**

**But it's up now, which is better than not at all.**

**Just a few things before y'all go.**

**First off, thank you to everyone who follows and favorites. It really does mean a lot to me.**

**Second, the JNPR name change is still happening and any suggestions y'all have would be greatly appreciated.**

**Third and finally, I'm happy to answer any (non-spoiler) questions y'all might have, so feel free to leave a review or PM me if you have one.**

**Goodnight and God bless.**


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